Luggage with detachable pocket

ABSTRACT

A luggage container with a detachable pocket includes a compartment having at least front, rear, top, bottom and side surfaces and at least one pocket receiving portion configured to receive the detachable pocket and formed on an outer surface of the compartment, the outer surface including at least the front surface, rear surface, top surface, bottom surface or side surface. The detachable pocket is attached to the compartment via the at least one pocket receiving portion to form an opening of the pocket configured to receive an object via the opening.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to luggage containers of alltypes, and more particularly, a luggage container with a detachablepocket that can be attached to or detached from the luggage container.

2. Description of the Related Art

Recently, many airlines have begun charging fees for checked-in baggage,and thus, whenever possible, travelers avoid checking in baggage whilereducing the size of carry-on baggage to fit under a passenger seat orin an overhead compartment. In many airports, travelers are not allowedto carry bottles filled with water or liquid through security checkpoints, and thus, travelers may buy bottles after passing the securitycheck points. Oftentimes, in addition to their baggage, travelers alsocarry other items such as magazines, snacks, and extra clothes. Some ofthese items need to be reached easily by the travelers without openingthe baggage. Therefore, baggage having pockets or extra externalcompartments formed on the outer surface of the baggage would allowpassengers to store the above-mentioned items in the pocketsconveniently without opening the baggage. Such baggage with pockets orextra external compartments are available.

However, certain types of luggage, for example hardside or hard shellluggage, lack such pockets or external compartments on the outer surfaceof the luggage because there is no mechanism available allowing thepockets or external compartments to be installed on the outer surface.Further, depending on the types of pockets, the pockets may make softshell baggage bulky or aesthetically undesirable. Sometimes, suchpockets are not used by the traveler, and thus, their presence on thebaggage at all the times is not necessary. Therefore, a pocket that canbe attached to or detached from the baggage as necessary would bedesirable to address the above identified concerns.

Prior art has attempted to add external pockets to luggage containers.U.S. Pat. No. 6,742,636 issued to Godshaw on Jun. 1, 2004 illustratesincorporating expansion or collapsible pockets in a side panel ofluggage for carrying items which require ease of access. The pockets ofGodshaw includes a mesh panel which connects first and/or second spacedside panels that may be joined by a zipper to each other or the case.However, such pocket of Godshaw is not detachable from the luggagealthough it may be concealed when the zipper is zipped up. Further, inGodshaw, extra cloth or material is required to form the pockets inaddition to the mesh panel.

U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0184014 of Lee published onJul. 23, 2009 illustrates a storage device configured to receive anelectronic device. A porous material, such as mesh, is connected to awall of the storage device of Lee, the storage device having a pluralityof voids on the wall to permit air passage between the interior andexterior of the storage device. However, in Lee, the porous material isnot attached to the storage device as a pocket for storage, but isattached to permit airflow through the plurality of voids and to preventobjects from entering the interior of the storage device. Further, theporous material of Lee is not detachable from the storage device.

U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0077135 of Drew et al.published on Apr. 14, 2005 illustrates a concealable stretch panel, suchas mesh-net, incorporated into articles of baggage. The panel of Drew etal. is attached along one edge to the inside of a pocket on the carrycase and it includes releasable devices such as resilient clasps toattach the opposed end to the out wall of the carry case. When not inuse, the panel of Drew et al. may be folded upon itself and stored inthe pocket which includes a zipper closure device. Drew et al. alsodiscloses that the stretch panel may be completely detachable from theconnecting panel by a two-part separable zipper. However, in Drew etal., the detachable panel is attached to a fabric panel by a connectorpanel and a separable zipper having separable halves. As such, severalcomponents, in addition to the two-part zipper, are required for thepanel of Drew et al. to be detachable from the baggage, thus makingattachment/detachment of the panel cumbersome and increasing the costfor manufacture.

As discussed above, although various attempts have been made to add apocket-like structure or external compartment to luggage containers, itinvolves several components to make the pocket detachable, thus,increasing the cost of manufacturing such luggage with a detachablepocket. In particular, none of the above discussed prior art disclose orsuggest a hard sided or hardside luggage having a detachable pocket. Thepresent invention is designed to provide a luggage system whose utilityand user convenience are effectively improved without increasing thecost of manufacture.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention is directed to an improved luggagethat substantially obviates one or more of the problems due tolimitations and disadvantages of the related art.

An object of the present invention is to ensure that the luggage userhas convenient and efficient access to the detachable pocket for thatluggage, easily removing the pocket from or attaching the pocket to theluggage.

To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purposeof the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, a luggagecontainer with a detachable pocket includes a compartment having atleast front, rear, top, bottom and side surfaces and at least one pocketreceiving portion configured to receive the detachable pocket and formedon an outer surface of the compartment, the outer surface including atleast the front surface, rear surface, top surface, bottom surface orside surface. The detachable pocket is attached to the compartment viathe at least one pocket receiving portion to form an opening of thepocket configured to receive an object via the opening.

According to one aspect of the preferred embodiment, the at least onepocket receiving portion comprises a plurality of receiving elements,each of the plurality of receiving elements being the same elementlocated at different areas on the outer surface of the compartment.

According to another aspect of the preferred embodiment, each of theplurality of receiving elements comprises a shaft portion having a headportion at one end thereof and the detachable pocket comprises anelastic material that can be stretched, the elastic material having aplurality of predetermined holes that correspond to the plurality ofreceiving elements.

In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, a hardsideluggage container with a detachable pocket includes a compartment havingat least front, rear, top, bottom and side surfaces and a plurality ofpocket receiving elements configured to receive the detachable pocketand formed on at least one of the at least front, rear, top, bottom andside surfaces that are outer surfaces. Each of the plurality of pocketreceiving elements is the same element and the detachable pocket isattached to the compartment via the plurality of pocket receivingelements to form an opening of the pocket.

Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth inthe description which follows, and in part will be apparent from thedescription, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Theobjectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized andattained by the structure particularly pointed out in the writtendescription and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.Therefore, it is to be understood that both the foregoing generaldescription and the following detailed description are exemplary andexplanatory and are intended to provide a further explanation of theinvention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and,together with the description, serve to explain the principles of theinvention.

FIG. 1A illustrates a frontal view of a luggage container with adetachable pocket attached to the front surface of the luggage containerin accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1Billustrates a perspective view of the luggage container shown in FIG.1A.

FIG. 2A illustrates a frontal view of the luggage container with thedetachable pocket detached from the front surface of the luggagecontainer in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.FIG. 2B illustrates a magnified view of an area on the luggage containerwhere the detachable pocket is attached, showing the pocket and a pocketreceiving portion.

FIG. 3A illustrates a bottom perspective view of a luggage containerwith a detachable pocket attached to the bottom and side surfaces toform a pocket on the back surface of the luggage container in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3B illustrates abottom perspective view of the luggage container shown in FIG. 3A,wherein the detachable pocket is completely removed from the luggagecontainer, showing only the pocket receiving portions formed on thebottom surface of the luggage container.

FIG. 4A illustrates a side view of a luggage container with a detachablepocket attached to the luggage container in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention, showing the pocket attached to theluggage container via pocket receiving portions. FIG. 4B illustrates aside view of the luggage container shown in FIG. 4A, wherein thedetachable pocket is completely removed from the luggage container,showing only the pocket receiving portions formed on the side surface ofthe luggage container.

FIG. 5 illustrates a detachable pocket detached from a luggage containerin accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6A illustrates a pocket receiving portion formed on an outersurface of a luggage container in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention. FIG. 6B illustrates the pocket receiving portionconnected to the luggage container via a through hole formed on a wallof the luggage container and fixed to an inside surface of the luggagecontainer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with respect to thepreferred embodiment illustrated in the annexed drawings.

According to FIGS. 1A and 1B, the luggage 10 has a pocket 20 and pocketreceiving portions 30 on an outer surface of the luggage, wherein thepocket 20 is used to receive the user's belongings and the pocketreceiving portions 30 are formed to hold the pocket on the outer surfaceof the luggage. The pocket 20 may be formed on any area on the outersurface of the luggage 10 by forming the pocket receiving portions 30 ondesired areas of the outer surface of the luggage. The pocket 20 may beconnected to the luggage 10 by zipper, hook-and-loop fastener, buttons,hooks, snap buttons, Velcro®, coupling fasteners, latches, or othersimilar connection type apparatuses or any other suitable mechanismknown by one of ordinary skill in the art for attaching or detaching thepocket to or from the luggage.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the pocket 20 isdetachable from the pocket receiving portions 30 as shown in FIGS. 2Aand 2B. According to another embodiment of the present invention, thepocket receiving portions 30 comprise a plurality of elements, as shownin FIGS. 3A, 3B, 4A, and 4B, each of the plurality of elements being thesame element located at different areas on the outer surface of theluggage 10. When the detachable pocket 20 is attached to the pocketreceiving portions 30, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 4A, a pocket opening isformed on one side of the pocket to receive objects. Three sides of thepocket are substantially closed by being connected to the pocketreceiving portions 30 as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B.

In one embodiment of the present invention, there may be at least twoopenings of the pocket 20 may be formed on the same side of the pocketby forming at least one pocket receiving portion near the opening, thusdividing the opening into a plurality of openings. In another embodimentof the present invention, a plurality of pockets 20 may be formed, forexample, one pocket on the front surface of the luggage 10 and anotherpocket on the back surface of the luggage 10.

Referring to FIG. 3A, one side of the pocket 20 that is located oppositeto the opening of the pocket is connected to three receiving pocketreceiving portions 30 located on the bottom surface of the luggage 10when the detachable pocket 20 is attached to the luggage to form thepocket. On the other hand, when the detachable pocket 20 is completelyremoved from the luggage 10, the pocket receiving portions 30 areexposed as shown in FIGS. 3B and 4B.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the pocketreceiving portions 30 are also detachable from the luggage 10 when thepocket 20 is not attached to the luggage. For example, each pocketreceiving portion 30 may have a bolt portion at one end, the boltportion located inside the luggage 10 when the pocket receiving portionis inserted into the wall of the luggage via a through hole, and a nut(not shown) may be threaded onto the bolt potion inside the luggage tohold the pocket receiving portion in place. Alternatively, a screw (notshown) may be inserted into a hole formed on the pocket receivingportion 30 that is inserted into the wall of the luggage 10 to hold thepocket receiving portion in place.

An example of the detached pocket 20 is shown in FIG. 5. The pocket 20may be constructed of a fabric material such as nylon, polyester orblends thereof, or leather, vinyl, or combinations thereof. According toan embodiment of the present invention, the detachable pocket 20 is astretch net material such as a mesh net having a plurality of holes. Inone aspect of the present invention, each of the plurality of holes ofthe pocket 20 has the same size. The pocket 20 having the plurality ofholes may be connected to the pocket receiving portions 30 byrespectively inserting the pocket receiving portions into some of theplurality of holes of the pocket. Preferably, the pocket receivingportions 30 are respectively inserted into designated holes located atedge portions of the pocket. Thus, depending on the number of the pocketreceiving portions 30 that are inserted into the holes of the pocket 20,the distance of gaps between each pocket receiving portion may vary.

In another aspect of the present invention, the detachable pocket 20 iselastic such that it can easily accommodate the received items. Ingeneral, the pocket 20 has at least four sides, three sides connected tothe pocket receiving portions 30 and one side becoming an opening of thepocket when the pocket is attached to the luggage 10. Depending on theshape of the luggage 10, the shape and size of the pocket 20 may bedifferently designed to form an appropriately shaped/sized pocket whenthe pocket is attached to the luggage.

The luggage 10 can be formed of any durable material, such as canvas,fabric, nylon, cotton, polyester, leather, or plastic (e.g. vinyl). Inone embodiment of the present invention, the luggage 10 is hardsideluggage made of lightweight materials, such as polypropylene,acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) polymer, polycarbonate, aluminum,or a mixture thereof, that are scratch proof and durable. Thus, byattaching the pocket 20 onto the outer surface of the luggage 10, thepocket may also protect the surface of the luggage from being scratched.In other words, the pocket 20 may be used not only for receivingobjects, but also as a cover for protecting the outer surface of theluggage 10. In another embodiment of the present invention, the luggage10 may be carry-on luggage.

While it is common that luggage made of fabric or leather has additionalexternal compartments or pockets formed on the outer surface of theluggage that are accessible without opening the luggage, suchcompartments or pockets are not found on the surface of hardside luggageas they usually have a hard, smooth outer surface. Further, installationof a pocket on the hard surface of the hardside luggage has not beenpractical because it has been considered difficult to implement a zipperor stitch to attach the pocket to the hard surface made of a metal orpolycarbonate.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, each pocketreceiving portion 30 is a protrusion such as a pin, rivet, and the like.In one aspect of the present invention, the pocket receiving portions 30may be pushed in to the luggage 10 when no pocket is attached to theluggage 10, or pushed out to be protruded from the luggage 10 to receivethe detachable pocket 20 when a pocket is to be formed on the outersurface of the luggage. The pocket receiving portions 30 may also bepushed in after receiving the pocket 20.

For example, as shown in FIG. 6A, a pocket receiving portion 30 has ahead portion 31 formed at one end of a cylindrical shaft 32. Typically,the head portion 31 of the pocket receiving portion 30 has a round shapeand the diameter of the head portion is larger than the diameter of thecylindrical shaft 32. The pocket receiving portion 30 may also have asupport portion 33 that contacts the outer surface of the luggage 10 asshown in FIG. 6A.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the pocketreceiving portion 30 is a rivet that is connected to the luggage 10 viaa through hole formed on the wall of the luggage 10, the pocketreceiving portion being fixed to the wall of the luggage by a buck-tailportion of the rivet flattened or expanded on the inner surface of theluggage. The pocket receiving portion 30 may be formed anywhere on theouter surface of the luggage 10 as desired. For example, the pocketreceiving portion 30 may be formed on the same side, such as a rear sideor front side, of the luggage 10 or formed on different sides includingleft, right, and bottom sides, as shown in FIGS. 1A, 1B, 3B, and 4B.

In another example, the pocket 20 formed of a mesh net may be connectedto the pocket receiving portion 30, such as a rivet, to form a pocket onthe luggage 10. The mesh net is pushed through the rivet via a selectedone of the plurality of holes of the mesh net such that the selected oneof the plurality of holes is fixed to the rivet, the head portion 31 ofthe rivet or pocket receiving portion 30 preventing the mesh net fromfalling off the pocket receiving portion unless a force stronger than apredetermined strength is applied to pull the mesh net out from therivet or pocket receiving portion. Since the mesh net is elastic, theindividual holes of the mesh net can be expanded when the rivet isinserted into the hole by a force and once the rivet is inserted intothe hole, the size of the hole returns to its original size. Thus, thehole is tightly wrapped around the cylindrical shaft 32 and retained bythe head portion 31. Therefore, the pocket 20 formed on the luggage 10is stably maintained as long as the pocket receiving portion 30 remainsinside the selected holes of the pocket.

As disclosed above, the inventive luggage with a detachable pocket canbe achieved without having too many additional components. Thus, themanufacturing cost for implementing the detachable pocket system on theluggage will be kept to a minimum.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations can be made in the present inventionwithout departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore,the foregoing description of these embodiments of the present inventionhas been presented for the purposes of illustration and description. Itis not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to theprecise form disclosed. Thus, it is intended that the present inventioncover the modifications and variations of this invention provided theycome within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.Preferred embodiments were shown in the context of standard wheeledluggage. In alternative embodiments, luggage of any size or containing anumber of compartments can be substituted for the present invention.

1. A luggage container with a detachable pocket, comprising: acompartment having at least front, rear, top, bottom and side surfaces;and at least one pocket receiving portion configured to receive thedetachable pocket and formed on an outer surface of the compartment, theouter surface including at least the front surface, rear surface, topsurface, bottom surface or side surface, wherein the detachable pocketis attached to the compartment via the at least one pocket receivingportion to form an opening of the pocket configured to receive an objectvia the opening.
 2. The luggage container according to claim 1, whereinthe at least one pocket receiving portion comprises a plurality ofreceiving elements, each of the plurality of receiving elements beingthe same element located at different areas on the outer surface of thecompartment.
 3. The luggage container according to claim 2, wherein theplurality of receiving elements comprise at least four receivingelements.
 4. The luggage container according to claim 3, wherein the atleast four receiving elements are located on the same surface of thecompartment, the same surface being one of the at least front, rear,top, bottom and side surfaces.
 5. The luggage container according toclaim 4, wherein the at least four receiving elements are located on thefront surface of the compartment, the luggage container furthercomprising at least four additional receiving elements that are locatedon the rear surface of the compartment such that two detachable pocketsare attachable to the compartment, one pocket attached to the frontsurface and the other pocket attached to the rear surface.
 6. Theluggage container according to claim 2, wherein the plurality ofreceiving elements comprise at least six receiving elements.
 7. Theluggage container according to claim 6, wherein at least four of the atleast six receiving elements are located on side surfaces of thecompartment and at least two of the at least six receiving elements arelocated on the bottom surface of the compartment, wherein at least twoof the at least six receiving elements are located on one side surfaceof the compartment and at least two of the at least six receivingelements are located on the other side surface of the compartment. 8.The luggage container according to claim 2, wherein each of theplurality of receiving elements comprises a shaft portion having a headportion at one end thereof and the detachable pocket comprises anelastic material that can be stretched, the elastic material having aplurality of predetermined holes that correspond to the plurality ofreceiving elements.
 9. The luggage container according to claim 8,wherein the plurality of receiving elements are inserted into thecorresponding plurality of predetermined holes to form the pocket on theouter surface of the compartment.
 10. The luggage container according toclaim 9, wherein the elastic material comprises a mesh net having aplurality of holes in addition to the plurality of predetermined holes.11. The luggage container according to claim 8, wherein each of theplurality of receiving elements comprises a rivet having the shaftportion.
 12. The luggage container according to claim 11, wherein therivet is connected to the compartment by being inserted into a throughhole formed on a wall of the compartment, the head portion protrudedoutside the wall and a tail portion of the rivet, which is connected tothe shaft portion and located at an opposite end of the head portion,protruded inside the wall.
 13. The luggage container according to claim11, wherein the compartment is made of a hard material comprisingpolypropylene, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) polymer,polycarbonate, aluminum, or a mixture thereof.
 14. A hardside luggagecontainer with a detachable pocket, comprising: a compartment having atleast front, rear, top, bottom and side surfaces; and a plurality ofpocket receiving elements configured to receive the detachable pocketand formed on at least one of the at least front, rear, top, bottom andside surfaces that are outer surfaces, wherein each of the plurality ofpocket receiving elements is the same element and the detachable pocketis attached to the compartment via the plurality of pocket receivingelements to form an opening of the pocket.
 15. The luggage containeraccording to claim 14, wherein each of the plurality of receivingelements is located at different areas of the compartment.
 16. Theluggage container according to claim 14, wherein the plurality of pocketreceiving elements comprise at least four pocket receiving elements thatare located on the same surface of the compartment, the same surfacebeing one of the at least front, rear, top, bottom and side surfaces.17. The luggage container according to claim 14, wherein the pluralityof receiving elements comprise at least six pocket receiving elements,at least four of the at least six pocket receiving elements beinglocated on the side surfaces of the compartment and at least two of theat least six pocket receiving elements being located on the bottomsurface of the compartment, the pocket being formed on the front or rearsurface.
 18. The luggage container according to claim 14, wherein eachof the plurality of pocket receiving elements comprises a protrusionformed on the outer surface of the compartment, the protrusioncomprising: a cylindrical shaft portion; a head portion formed at oneend of the shaft portion; and a tail portion formed at the other end ofthe shaft portion, the tail portion being inside the compartment whenthe protrusion is inserted into a though hole formed on a wall of thecompartment, wherein the protrusion is fixed to the compartment via thetail portion.
 19. The luggage container according to claim 14, whereinthe detachable pocket comprises an elastic material that can bestretched, the elastic material having a plurality of holes, and theplurality of pocket receiving elements are inserted into selected holesamong the plurality of holes to form the pocket on the outer surface ofthe compartment.
 20. The luggage container according to claim 19,wherein the elastic material comprises a mesh net.